Throughout Europe and even adjacent areas there was the widespread belief in thunderstones. These peculiar stones (prehistoric flint and stone axes) were thought to have crashed into the earth during a lightning strike. Although nowadays this superstition has largely vanished, it was still widely accepted in the first half of the 20th century.

Deinse* describes this situation for the Dutch province of Overijssel, directly south of Drenthe. He reports that virtually every farmer has at least one prehistoric axe at his farm. They were believed to protect the house against lightning, as lightning never strikes the same place twice. He even reported that particular axes were believed to possess special powers. Small bits of stone were scraped off these axes and were given to children as a medicine against convulsions.